Jonathan Lytton was just climbing along last August on Dan’s Delight in Banff National Park, Alberta, and then he wasn’t: A rock fell from above, smashing his helmet and sending him from the sharp end of the rope into a leader fall. His first piece of protection pulled out and by the time he was caught by his partner and belayer, he’d plummeted 66 feet. The fall broke his ankle and some ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and left him unconscious for five minutes with head injuries.

Though severely injured, a number of things went in Lytton’s favor: His partner was able to lower him to a ledge, he had a cell phone signal, and it was a flawless summer day for a rescue helicopter to pluck him from the cliff. The search and rescue crews of Parks Canada respond to 300-some incidents each year in the Canadian Rockies parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Waterton, Glacier), and recently they’ve begun wearing GoPro helmetcams on their missions. In this case, the rescue was conducted and captured by Steve Holeczi and his partner Aaron Beardmore, who are so calm and professional it sounds like a day at the beach.

“The message in this video is that it can happen to anyone,” Holeczi told CTV News. “It was a nice day, these guys were on a climb that was well within their abilities and they had an accident, but they had a cell phone, our emergency dispatch number, they knew how to signal us on the cliff. Had they not done that — not been able to initiate a rescue right away — then the outcome might have been quite different.”

Or, as the official analysis of the accident put it, “Given that the party was sufficiently experienced for the undertaking it can only be said that sometimes, ‘things happen’. Loose rock is a fact of life in the Mountain National Parks, and sometimes it can come loose and knock climbers off their stance.”

full story ... note the single point of attachment leash with a knotted dyneema sling for both rangers ... id assume that they know what they are doing

im sure some people on this board will have a fit with that ;)

The last I heard, they use full Mtn guides for rescue.

^ These guys are Parks Canada employee's. I've worked with a bunch who are ACMG guides and drag clients around on their time off. You don't need to be a full guide to make the grade but it helps as the competition for the job is rather tough. Cheers, Andrew

Jonathan Lytton was just climbing along last August on Dan’s Delight in Banff National Park, Alberta, and then he wasn’t: A rock fell from above, smashing his helmet and sending him from the sharp end of the rope into a leader fall. His first piece of protection pulled out and by the time he was caught by his partner and belayer, he’d plummeted 66 feet. The fall broke his ankle and some ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and left him unconscious for five minutes with head injuries.

Though severely injured, a number of things went in Lytton’s favor: His partner was able to lower him to a ledge, he had a cell phone signal, and it was a flawless summer day for a rescue helicopter to pluck him from the cliff. The search and rescue crews of Parks Canada respond to 300-some incidents each year in the Canadian Rockies parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Waterton, Glacier), and recently they’ve begun wearing GoPro helmetcams on their missions. In this case, the rescue was conducted and captured by Steve Holeczi and his partner Aaron Beardmore, who are so calm and professional it sounds like a day at the beach.

“The message in this video is that it can happen to anyone,” Holeczi told CTV News. “It was a nice day, these guys were on a climb that was well within their abilities and they had an accident, but they had a cell phone, our emergency dispatch number, they knew how to signal us on the cliff. Had they not done that — not been able to initiate a rescue right away — then the outcome might have been quite different.”

Or, as the official analysis of the accident put it, “Given that the party was sufficiently experienced for the undertaking it can only be said that sometimes, ‘things happen’. Loose rock is a fact of life in the Mountain National Parks, and sometimes it can come loose and knock climbers off their stance.”

This is another Hollywood vids for you guys. for some this is business and I personally did not like what I saw.

Watch your manners. Majid!

These boys are our SAR and do a great job on our turf.

On the other hand, if you want to help improve our gear, methods, and infrastructure, then come on up to the Canadian Rockies and show us how. You could run your own school, or maybe even start a new SAR company.

But if you're not willing to put your money where your mouth is, then keep it shut.

This is another Hollywood vids for you guys. for some this is business and I personally did not like what I saw.

Watch your manners. Majid!

These boys are our SAR and do a great job on our turf.

On the other hand, if you want to help improve our gear, methods, and infrastructure, then come on up to the Canadian Rockies and show us how. You could run your own school, or maybe even start a new SAR company.

But if you're not willing to put your money where your mouth is, then keep it shut.

sorry Dan but if you had any medical training then you know when a guy is hit in the head, you stabilize the head and neck first then you go after the leg. with blood present then they should put their gloves on and try not clip yourself with one link.

again, I like to see their standard operating procedures manual. May be things are done differently in Alberta .

let me ask you this ... do you believe that the actions of parks canada rescue in this video put lives at risks unnecessarily? ... and if so, is it not your moral obligation as a SAR person to contact parks canada about these gaps?

They handle it correctly for the situation. Single point attachments are just fine in those situations. There was more than enough assessment to determine how to administer medical attention prior to the evacuation.

You should climb in the Canadian Rockies, it's different up here.

Not advocating agreeing with Cohen, but the boys up here are among the finest for rescue... YOSAR has El Cap and Half Dome Dialed, We have mountains Dialed up here.

let me ask you this ... do you believe that the actions of parks canada rescue in this video put lives at risks unnecessarily? ... and if so, is it not your moral obligation as a SAR person to contact parks canada about these gaps?

either you believe it safe or you do not ...

Without knowing what the standard procedures in this sort of situation are in Alberta, I can't say what is accepted or not. Having basic personal protection gear (ie, gloves) is pretty universal when blood is present. if you closely watch the vids, you see that guys on the ground have their gloves on cause they are medic and follow their rules.

Without knowing what the standard procedures in this sort of situation are in Alberta, I can't say what is accepted or not. Having basic personal protection gear (ie, gloves) is pretty universal when blood is present. if you closely watch the vids, you see that guys on the ground have their gloves on cause they are medic and follow their rules.

I guess at the end, one climber is saved and we can move on.

the next time you tell someone they are going to die because they didnt do things the majid way ...

Question from an SAR n00b; when the guy hanging from the chopper clips to the anchor, is the chopper then anchored to the cliff? Is that avoided when possible or not a bug deal? I recall hearing about the ropes thrown from the choppers in Y.V. having a note saying not attach help helicopter rope to the anchor.

Question from an SAR n00b; when the guy hanging from the chopper clips to the anchor, is the chopper then anchored to the cliff? Is that avoided when possible or not a bug deal? I recall hearing about the ropes thrown from the choppers in Y.V. having a note saying not attach help helicopter rope to the anchor.

yes and no. once the SAR guy clips to wall, he should disconnect himself off the chopper either manually or the pilot or the winch guy disconnects the cable from top or if it is electric disconnect, the pilot may DC from the bottom.